Badminton

Vũ Thị Trang is one of eight Vietnamese players to compete at the 2026 Badminton World Federation World Championships from August 17-23 in India. Photo vov.vn

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam will send eight of their strongest players to compete in the 2026 Badminton World Federation World Championships, which will be held from August 17 to 23 in India.

The world's top shuttlers will gather to vie for titles in five categories at the Indira Gandhi Arena in New Delhi.

Among the Vietnamese players, Paris Olympian Nguyễn Thùy Linh and London Olympics participant Vũ Thị Trang will compete in the women's singles category.

Linh is Việt Nam's top player and stands at No. 25 in the world. She will play No. 2, Akane Yamaguchi of Japan, in the first round match.

Although Linh has given impressive performances in several recent international competitions, Yamaguchi is a very strong opponent. In their last three meets, Linh failed to win a single set.

Trang, ranked 80th in the world, had a more favourable draw result. She will play Estonian Kristin Kuuba, No. 133, in the first match.

Trang beat her rival 2-0 in the world championship in 2019. If she wins the first round, she will take on No. 14, Sim Yu-jin of South Korea.

In the men's singles, Lê Đức Phát — who welcomed his baby girl last week — will face Joakim Oldorff of Finland in the first match. Meanwhile, national champion Nguyễn Hải Đăng will go up against Hong Kong representative Lee Cheuk Yiu.

Vietnam International Challenge 2025 champions Nguyễn Đình Hoàng and Trần Đình Mạnh will compete in the men's doubles, while youngsters Phạm Thị Khánh and Phạm Thị Diệu Ly will test their skills in the women's doubles.

The world tournament offers a substantial 14,500 points to the champion, allowing for a significant boost in world rankings.

Nguyễn Tiến Minh holds the best-ever record for a Vietnamese player at this tournament, having won the men's singles bronze medal in 2013.

In other badminton news, Nguyễn Thị Thu Huyền will be Việt Nam's representative at the Youth Olympics 2026 in Senegal, taking place from October 31 to November 13.

Only men's and women's singles disciplines will be held at the Dakar event, with 32 competitors each.

It will be Huyền's first time at an international tournament.

The 15-year-old just won two silvers in the women's singles and mixed doubles at the Philippines Junior International Series last week.

She is the third Vietnamese player to participate in the Youth Olympics. Previously, Đăng and Vũ Thị Anh Thư competed in the 2018 edition.

Thư secured a silver in the mixed team event while wearing an Omega team jersey. This is a special discipline of the tournament, as players of different countries are picked to make up new teams and compete for titles. — VNS